Process of waterproofing



WALTER ALEXANDER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF WATERPROOFING.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER ALEXANDER,

' a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan,city, county, and State of New York, have invented certam new and usefulImprovements in Processes of Waterproofing, of which the following is aspecification. I

My invention relates to theart of waterproofing either walls and likesurfaces or more particularly fabrics into the interstices and fibers ofwhich it is desired to introduce waterproof or water-repellent material.

Such materials used in the past have been waxes or waxy acid substancesor metallic stearates and other metallic soaps and the like.

Hitherto there have been only two known methods of applying suchmaterials:

(a) The alternate saturation of the material with liquids capable ofproducing by mutual interaction the desired substance on or in thesurface. By this method the desired material was slowly formed bysuccessive baths, and if it were desirable, as'is generally the case, touse a number of such substances in order to get the advantage of theirdiffering mechanical properties, the number of successive baths becameconsiderable. Thus, to produce a waterproofing that com- I bined thehardness of stearates, the flexibility of oleates, the fixing qualitiesof copper salts and the rubbery feeling of the aluminum salts, at leasttwo bathings are required for each; and if a large quantity of any onematerial is desired, several alternate baths are required, for thatmaterial alone. Furthermore the deposition by double decomposition isapt to occur largely between the fibers and to occur irregularly indifferent parts of the goods of different closeness of texture.

(b) The metal soaps are slightly soluble in certain organic solvents,and external surfaces of walls or internal surfaces of textiles,

may be coated with such solution or with rubber or wax solution andthereupon dried, But the use of such solvents involves considerable firerisk and loss of valuable solvents and in case of the metallic soaps andthe like, which are only very slightly soluble in the cheap commercialsolvents, it again requires a number of treatments to deposit anyconsider- Specification of Letters Patent.

number- Patented July 26, 1921.

Application filed September 4, 1918. Serial No. 252,585.

able quantity of the waterproofing material [11 the fibers with thedanger again that the material will be very irregularly distributed.

The ob ects of my invention are to eliminate the necessity of usingorganic solvents and yet to obtain all the advantages of beingable toapply a homogenous mixture of various Waterproofing agents; also toovercome the objection to repeated treatments in orderto apply a largeamount of the desired compound or compounds; also to secure theseobjects without a considerable of successive oralternating treatments.Other objects and advantages will appear below.

y invention consists in a process which preferably combines-most of thefollowing steps: combining together vin aqueous suspension or solution,but in a state capable of thoroughly permeating and heavily loadmgitself upon andvwithin the body to be waterproofed, of the two or morecomponents of the Waterproofing composition, namely, the acidiccomponents and the basic components or their compounds; causing thisnovel fluid or substantially aqueous solution to thoroughly penetratethe body, thus applying both components simultaneously; removing theexcess if any; thereupon preferably further concentrating the activecomponents by at least partial evaporation of the water; and thereaftersubmitting the loaded body shall fix upon and within the body theessential waterproofing elements of the solution so that they are nolonger readily soluble and capable of removal by water and exert to agreater or less extent, dependent upon their nature, a water-repellentaction.

As one example of my invention, I take 114 pounds of sodium stearate(soap) and dissolve this in 300 pounds water by the aid of heat. Also Itake 39 pounds of aluminum sulfate and dissolve this in 100 pounds ofcold water. To the latter I add 30 pounds of bicarbonate of sodadissolved or mixed in 100 pounds of cold water. A non-gelatinousaluminum hydroxid A1,,(OH) results. This should preferably be slightlyalkaline and may, but need not, be washed to remove to the action of anagent which Thereafter the excess may the aluminum and the stearicrequired to produce aluminum stearate, but apparently not combined inthe insoluble or waterproofing form or condition, Thisliquid is appliedhot and thoroughly worked into the material, in the case of textiles,for instance, by means of a jig provided with squeeze rolls. be removedby squeeze rolls or by scraper. The next step is to substantially drythe impregnated body with the aid of moderate heat, (212 F.) if desired.Thereupon the body is submitted to the action of a hot fixing solution,for instance AI (SO solution, about 10% strength, which would beexpected at once to react with the soap in the superficial layer of theimpregnating material, whereas it actually seems to have the effect offixing substantially all of the stearic acid throughout the mass asaluminum stearate on or in the body in waterproof form. This action isnot superficial on the mass of impregnating material but is profoundthroughout the body of the material. In this manner a waterproofing ofany desired weight can at once be fixed upon or with the body. Next ifdesired as in textiles, the salts of reaction and the by-products, as NaSO and excess of aluminum sulfate may be removed as by washing out withclean water, the material dried, and the remaining-fixed waterproofingcompound heat-treated, e. 9., ironed or calendered if desired.

It is apparent that while the wholly combined components of thewaterproofing compound, e. aluminum and stearic have been used before indilute and relatively ineffective solution in organic solvents, I haveproduced new articles of commerce not hitherto available or applicableand never before made or used in that I have prepared the substantiallyaqueous solution or at any rate combination of the necessary componentsof the waterproofing compound in concentrated and reasonably stapleform, adapted to constitute the compound by fixation with anotheraqueous fixing agent after application to the body to be waterproofed.

I believe that the metallic oxid or hydroxid preci itated in thepresence of the liberated sodium carbonate is peptonized by the actionof the substantially alkaline soap solution to produce the novel aqueoussuspension or solution of the waterproofing compound in a condition ofaqueous dispersion, and permeates the fiber as well as adsorbs heavilyon the surface of the fiber or othersurface to I be waterproofed perhaps80 to 100 times the I believe that the resulting colloid I adsorptionrequired by Gibbs law owing to the surface by a truly colloid mixturethan supersaturation, gelatinization and possiblv 'is possible by mererepeated production of the colloidal gel of aluminum stearate in asolution no matter how fully such solution is distributed between thefibers. Furthermore, I believe that on treatment with hot solution ofaluminum sulfate or equivalentelectrolyte, the gelatinization is madeirreversible, possibly by fixation of the protective hydroxylions orother protective substance, or the final chemical change necessa'ry tofiX permanently the united aluminum and stearic acid in and upon thesurface as aluminum stearate is brought about.

Certain it is that in this matter, with nomore treatments or'difiicultythan is at present required by the single light shower proofing, by myprocess I am able to apply any desired amount of any desired combinationof mixed metallic and mixed organic acid soaps to secure any desiredeffect with greater uniformity and perfection than has hitherto beenobtainable by the oft repeated separatejand partial treatments. By usingthe acidic component of the waterproof compound in the form of a solublesalt and the basic component in the form of a peptonized hydroxid sol, Iam able to apply both acidic and basic components simultaneously and farmore effectively. In this way the two acidic and basic componentspenetrate simultaneouly and separately and are there'- after caused toreact, thereby fixing both components together on the body to bewaterproofed.

Not only am I able to use the usual oleic, stearic, palmitic, etc.,acids, but also certain sulfonated oils like Turkey red oil, in whichcase the cuprammonium or other metallic hydrates, which are soluble inammonia or pther solvents, produce clear transparent jelies.

While I have cited numerous variations of the metallic substances and ofthe organic acid to secure dilferept final effects and some to act assubstantial equivalents, there are numerous other variations that willbe apparent to any one skilled in the art of using waterproof soaps suchas the application of resinates, etc., so that I do not limit theinvention to the materials specifically named or to the preciseproportions indicated by chemical equivalents, as in some instances.like that of the amount of soda used in the specific example, I seandcure better results by using a slight excess of one reagent or theother.

Having thus described the preferred embodiment of my discovery and thebest method now known to me of practising the same, what I desire tosecure by Letters Patent, and therefore claim as new, is:

l. The art of waterproofing textile fabrics consisting in impregnatingthe fabric with an aqueous solution adapted to react as aluminumstearate, and then applying an aqueous solution of a fixation agent.

2. In the process of Waterproofing, the improvement which consists insimultaneously applying the components of the effective waterproofingcompound to be produced, said components being adapted separately topenetrate the body to be waterproofed, and thereafter causing thefixation of them together with the body to be waterproofed by treatingwith a fixing agent.

3. In the process of waterproofing, the improvement which consists insimultaneously applying an acidic and a basic component of the effectivewaterproofing composition to be produced by their reaction, saidcomponents being in substantially fluid form, and thereafter causing thefixation of them together with the body to be waterproofed, by treatingwith a fixing agent.

4. In the process of Waterproofing, the improvement which consists insimultaneously applying the two components of the effectivewaterproofing compound to be produced, said components being insubstantially fluid form, thereafter concentrating the active componentsby driving off a part of the fluid and thereafter causing the fixationof them together with the body to be waterproofed, by treating with afixing agent.

5. In the process of waterproofing, the steps which consist insimultaneously and separately applying to the body to be waterproofed,components of the effective waterproofing compound to be produced bytheir interaction. the said components being in substantially fluid formand adapted to produce said waterproofing compound by their mutualaction, and thereafter causing the fixation of said compound bysubjecting the treated body to the action of a suitable electrolyte.

6. In the process of waterproofing a fluidpenetrable body, the stepsconsisting in simultaneously applying. in substantially fluid form twocomponents adapted separately to penetrate said body and to interactwithin the body to form a waterproofing compound and thereafterpromoting the interaction.

7. In the process of waterproofing, the improvement which consists inapplying the two components of the effective waterproofing compound tobe produced simultanesalts and heat-treating ously and in substantiallyfluid form, thereafter concentrating the active components andthereafter causing the fixation of them together with the body to bewaterproofed by treating with a fixing agent.

8. In the process of waterproofing, the improvement which consists inapplying the two components of the effective waterproofing compoundadapted to react as steal-ate simultaneously in aqueous dispersion andin substantially fluid form and thereafter treating with a fixationagent.

9. In the process of waterproofing, the improvementwhich consists inapplying the two components of the effective waterproofing compoundadapted to react as aluminum stearate simultaneously in aqueousdispersion and in substantially fluid form, thereafter concentrating theactive components and thereafter treating with a fixation agent.

10. In the process of waterproofing, the improvement which consists inapplying the two components of the effective waterproofing compound oneof which contains a'metal adapted to produce a water-repellent metallicsoap, and the other of which contains an organic acid adapted to producewith a heavy metal a water-repellent soap simultaneously in aqueousdispersion and in substantially fluid form and thereafter causing thefixation of them together with the body to be waterproofed by action ofa suitable electrolyte.

11. In the process of waterproofing, the improvement which consists inapplying the two components of the effective waterproofing compound tobe produced simultaneously and in substantially fluid form andthereafter treating with a fixation agent, removing by-product salts andheat-treating the compound.

12. In the process of waterproofing, the improvement which consists inapplying the two components of the effective waterproofing compound tobe produced simultaneously and in substantially fluid form, thereafterconcentrating the active components and thereafter treating saidcomponents together with the body to be 'waterproofed with a fixingagent, removing by-product the compound.

13. In the process of waterproofing, the improvement which consists inapplying the two components of the effective waterproofing compound tobe produced simultaneously and in substantially fluid form andthereafter fixing both components together on the body to bewaterproofed by treating with a fixing agent, removing by-product saltsand heat-treating the compound.

14. In the process of waterproofing, the improvement which consists inapplying the two components of the effective waterproofing compound tobe produced simultaneously and in substantially fluid form, thereafterconcentrating the active components and thereafter causing the fixationof them together with the body to be waterproofed by treating withafixing agent, removing byproduct salts and heat-treating the compound.

15. In the process of waterproofing, the improvement which consists inapplying the two components of the effective waterproofing compound tobe produced simultaneously in aqueous dispersion and in substantiallyfluid form and thereafter treating them with a fixing agent togetherwith the body to be waterproofed, removing saline impurities andheat-treating the compound.

16. The process of waterproofing which consists in treating thematerials to be waterproofed simultaneously with the acidic and basicconstituents of the desired waterproofing material, bothbeing-substantially in aqueous solution and treating them together uponthe material with a fixing agent.

17. body which consists in simultaneously impregnating same with acidicand-basic com-. ponents adapted to penetrate said body separately and toreact thereon as a waterproofing compound, the said acidic componentbeing in the form of a soluble salt and said basic component being inthe form of a peptonized hydroxid sol.

18. The method of waterproofing a fluidpermeable body which consists inimpre nating same taneously with a peptonized hydroxid sol underconditions capable of producing by synthesis a waterproofing react-ionproduct, and causing same to react within and on the said body toyieldsaid product.

WALTER ALEXANDER.

The method of waterproofing a porous with a soluble salt and simu

